Department Information

News Detail

07/22/2014

Summer in Costa Rica, Italy, Ghana or Thailand beckoned this year to many SUNY Cortland students, who embarked on overseas studies during June, July and August rather than September.

“Consistent with national trends, an increasing number of SUNY Cortland students opt to engage in shorter term, faculty-led courses abroad in the summer, winter or over spring break,” said Mary Schlarb, director of international programs.

“These programs offer students an opportunity to explore the world in an academically rigorous, dynamic environment, under the guidance of faculty who are not only disciplinary experts, but who also take to heart the need to guide students in their intercultural and personal development in the new settings of their host countries,” Schlarb said.

An additional benefit of these shorter-term programs is that they permit students to satisfy degree or general education requirements, creating some flexibility for students who have set course sequences during the fall and spring semesters, Schlarb added.

“They also allow students who are freshman or sophomores to have an international experience earlier than junior or senior year, when students typically embark on semester-long program,” she said. “This gives them a taste of the thrill of studying abroad and in many cases, encourages them to participate in longer-term programs.”

The College, through its International Programs Office (IPO), recently awarded approximately $85,746 in scholarships and exchange awards to help 70 of its students expand their educational horizons through study in another country. More than half are already immersed in their host country.

Sixty-three students will use $43,850 in scholarships to pursue academics abroad during summer or fall 2014. Additionally, through the IPO’s many exchange agreements with international universities, seven SUNY Cortland students will receive tuition waivers and grants totaling $41,896 in exchange value to help pay for their international study.

The students have benefitted from a more than 15 percent increase in direct scholarship funding since last year, allowing six more students to study in another country.

Recipients were selected based on criteria that included high academic achievement, financial need, involvement in extracurricular activities, a personal essay and letters of recommendation.

“We are grateful for the generous support of alumni, faculty and friends so that more students can access these transformational opportunities to grow and learn in new cultural contexts,” Schlarb said.

A description of the scholarships and the award recipients appears below:

Overseas Academic Program (OAP) Award

One SUNY Cortland student savors a beautiful vista as she visits a foreign country for studies made possible through the College's International Programs Office.

Overseas Academic Program (OAP) scholarships are awarded to students accepted in a study abroad program. The scholarship is for amounts between $200 and $750 for summer recipients.

The remaining summer 2014 OAP winners used their scholarship as follows:

• Imani Bruce, a junior psychology major from Brooklyn, to complete an internship in Belize;

• Allison Campbell, a senior childhood education major from Eden, N.Y., to participate in Teach in Thailand;

• Melissa Case, a senior therapeutic recreation major from Manlius, N.Y., to complete a Projects Abroad service learning assignment in Ghana;

• Allison DiGregoiro, a senior psychology major from North Massapequa, N.Y., for scholarship in Middlesex, England through SUNY New Paltz;

• Kadeeja Fredankey, a junior biomedical science major from Brooklyn, for studies in Fulda, Germany;

• Rachel Forester, a graduate student in second language education from Cortland, for participation in the Summer Teacher Institute in Costa Rica;

• Amanda Garchitorena, a senior criminology major from Babylon, for scholarship in Sorrento, Italy through Suffolk Community College;

• Jasmine Lahoz, a junior adolescence education: mathematics major from Bronx, for participation in the Teach in Thailand program;

• Amber Santiago, a junior community health major from Campbell Hall, N.Y., for studies in Dublin, Ireland through SUNY Brockport;

• Erica Vega, a junior community health major from Mastic, N.Y., for academic work in Cork, Ireland; and,

• Ashley Vogler, a senior exercise science major from Jamesville, for scholarship in Western Europe through Stony Brook University.

Willi Uschald Scholarship

Visitors to an Asian country experience a snake charming, a demonstration they would never see in their native country.

Created in 1991, the Uschald Study Abroad Scholarship is named for Willi A. Uschald, professor emeritus of foreign languages and director emeritus of international programs at SUNY Cortland. Uschald Scholarships are open to students accepted to a study abroad program who are U.S. citizens. Summer 2014 awardees received between $300 and $750.

Three students received the scholarship to attend Universidad Veritas, Costa Rica:

• Jocelyn Jones, a senior adolescence education: French and Spanish major from Auburn, N.Y.;

• Kathryn Mryglod, a junior inclusive special education major from Farmington, N.Y.; and,

• Katherine Quiroz, a senior early childhood education major from White Plains, N.Y.

Two students received the funding for studies through the Summer in Ghana program in Africa:

The remaining summer Uschald recipients used their scholarship as follows:

• Nicole Becker, a junior communication studies major from Cicero, N.Y., for academic work in Rome, Italy through Stony Brook University;

• Nikole Espositio, a junior inclusive special education major from Bethlehem, Pa., to complete an internship in Belize;

• Jessica Gattus, a senior childhood education major from Seaford, N.Y., to participate in the Australia Summer Education program;

• Rachel Miller, a senior international studies major from Hamburg, for scholarship in Muscat, Oman;

• Katie Rivera, a senior international studies major from Bronx, for academic work in Cuzco, Peru through SUNY Geneseo;

• Shanice Simon, a senior exercise science major from Brooklyn, to complete a Projects Abroad service learning assignment in Ghana; and,

• Ashely Vogler, a senior exercise science major from Jamesville, for studies in Western Europe through Stony Brook University.

The fall 2014 study abroad scholarships were awarded as follows:

Chin Memorial Scholarship

The Yuki and Wah Chip Chin Memorial Scholarship supports exchange students at SUNY Cortland from Capital Normal University in Beijing, other Mainland China universities and other Asian countries. It also supports SUNY Cortland students wishing to study in Asia. The scholarships, expanded in 2003, were created by a Cortland couple that supported the College’s Asian study abroad initiatives, Chinese native Wah Chip Chin and his Japanese-born wife, Yuki. The Fall 2014 recipient of the $1,500 scholarship is:

The Charles A. Gibson Scholarship, which was created in 1998, awards students participating in a study abroad program outside the Western Hemisphere who demonstrate high academic achievement and financial need. Two scholarships were awarded for $1,150 each in fall 2014, both to complete the semester of student teaching requirement in Australia, to:

A scholarship created in 2010 by Ronald and Marguerite Huether and family honors the memory of their son, Gregory R. Huether ’10. The Gregory R. Huether ’10 European Sport Study Seminar Memorial Scholarship will offer the College’s sport management majors $2,500 for Fall 2014. The recipient is:

• Javier Roman Tirado, a graduate student in sport management from Arecibo, Puerto Rico, to complete an internship in Australia.

Marcia Spaeth McDermott Scholarship

The Marcia Spaeth McDermott Professional Study Abroad Scholarship was created in 2009 by the late, former acting dean of the School of Professional Studies, to support the overseas studies of a SUNY Cortland student majoring in a school program. The recipient of the $1,500 scholarship for fall 2014 is:

• Talia Peck, a senior exercise science major from Pelham, N.Y., for academic work in Dublin, Ireland through SUNY Oswego.

Gail Reed ’67 Scholarship

Created in 2007, the Gail Reed ’67 Scholarship is open to students who are U.S citizens and accepted to a study abroad program in destinations other than Great Britain for the sake of encouraging cross-cultural experiences. Reed created the scholarship to recognize the profound impact of the study abroad experience on her own life and to acknowledge the College’s study abroad program founder, Willi Uschald. The $1,000 scholarship for fall 2014 is awarded to:

• Louis Puca, a senior communication studies major from Huntington, N.Y., for study in Sorrento, Italy through SUNY Alfred.

Kevin A. Rowell ’83 Award

SUNY Cortland graduate Kevin A. Rowell ’83 created the award in 1998 to support the overseas studies of a student who has participated in club sports, student government and volunteer work. The fall 2014 recipient of this $1,500 award is:

• Jesse Kapito, a senior business economics major from Monticello, N.Y., to study at London Metropolitan University in England; and,

• Nancy Roman, a senior adolescence education: Spanish major from Brooklyn, for academic work in Salamanca, Spain.

Exchange Recipients for Fall 2014

The College presented seven SUNY Cortland students with exchange awards resulting from agreements with some of the College’s 25 international partner universities, saving the selected students a total of almost $42,000. The partner universities have agreed to waive tuition for students involved in the exchange so that an award recipient pays only the SUNY tuition for the study abroad opportunity.

Two students received the award for study in Cumbria, United Kingdom:

• Alyssa Breslow, a junior criminology major from West Nyack, N.Y.; and,

• Caitlyn Jenkins, a senior communication studies major from Rochester.

Two students received the award to attend Griffith University in Australia:

• Taylor Krug, a sophomore early childhood/childhood education major from Merrick, N.Y.; and,

• Karly Neuss, a junior exercise science major from Manlius.

The remaining recipients will use their award as follows:

• Elisa Marin, a junior adolescence education: mathematics major from Islip, N.Y., for study in

Salamanca, Spain;

• Elizabeth Nevins, a senior psychology major from Schroon Lake, N.Y., to attend University College Cork, National University of Ireland; and,

• Brittany Weissman, a senior therapeutic recreation major from Levittown, to study at Federation University (Ballarat), Australia.